We started March 11th with our first day of schooling at home. It was funny how Isaac sat by us all morning as we worked. That only lasted a couple days. :)
So what did we do?? Well, we started all over on cursive. Who'd of thunk that it's actually necessary to demonstrate how to make each letter rather than just telling the kids to copy what is on the worksheet. Hmm. She could make letters that looked how they should, kinda, but formation was a mess and didn't flow how cursive letters are meant to do.
For review I purchased a Summer Bridge book for 3rd graders going into 4th. She did it and cursive in the morning while I got the boys breakfast and Aidan ready for school.
She was a few chapters into Charlotte's Web when we pulled her so we (at her request) started the book over and just finished our unit on it today. She really enjoyed making the lapbook.
In addition to the pockets, diagrams & flip books included in the lap book she also completed different types of writing activities, word work, story structure & summaries for each chapter.
Our second book was Little House in the Big Woods. She really enjoyed reading it and relating to Laura as a little girl. We did another lapbook to contain all our learning materials. Along with the story we made fresh butter, completed a sewing project & learned about gun cleaning and safety. Perhaps my favorite (free!) lesson I found is pictured below. Always a bonus to take a story and apply God's word!
For both book studies I used resources from all over the web and Teachers Pay Teachers website. There are so many premade activities for free or cheap, it just talks lots of time to put it all together.
I was on my own for the last book we completed because it is too new. Peace, Love and Cupcakes The Cupcake Club. She really, really enjoyed this book! We worked on summaries, writing activities dealing with conflict resolution/bullying which was touched on in the book and she also did some recipe work. Naturally we did so me math work with measurements. :) The book led right into Emma's annual Cupcake Kids bake sale to raise money for imprisoned orphans in Uganda that the 60 Feet ministry assists. There are two more books in the series that I have purchased for her, but she is hesitant to start reading them because she will finish them far before the 4th book that comes out until late this fall.
She quickly learned her multiplication facts mastered them without any finger jives or lengthy skip counting. Just plan ole memorization. Her reward was a new carrying case for her ipod. (which has since been lost!!! ugh!) She also made an Area Bot when reviewing area in math.
Georgia 3rd grade Social Studies curriculum is strictly focused on famous figures who fought for rights of various groups. She had covered most all of them in school and it was mostly a regurgitation of birthdates, location of birth and what the person fought for. She has a natural interest in different governments and how our government works. She requested learning more about the constitution, history of our flag and also covered some on pioneer times which tied into our reading of Little House in the Big Woods.
I'll be the first to admit that social studies and science were placed after reading, language arts, math and writing activities. So, we didn't really use any formal curriculum or follow a particular plan. I followed her lead on what she was interested in.
We ended her school year administering the ITBS (Iowa Test of Basic Skills) standardized test. Georgia law requires homeschooled children take a test every 3 years starting in 3rd grade. Luckily since I have a degree in elementary education I could register as a certified test administrator. Saved from hiring one or using a test that wasn't as highly recommended. The results came a couple days before we left on our summer KS trip. She did well and excelled in most every area struggling most in spelling (a DNA test would have indicated this same result). I was quite surprised at her Social Studies and Science scores considering AZ didn't really do much at all in those subjects and 3rd grade SS was limited to people who where not on the ITBS. The reading profile that was given with test scores has her a couple years above grade level.
There were several special memories that were made thanks to Emma being home. She and her daddy worked together to make a doll loft bed for her American girl doll. She helped with each and every step from cost of materials, purchasing, measurements, cuts, sanding, area calculations for the mattress mommy made, etc and loved every bit of it!
A few weeks in the kitchen table was not cutting it so I found this cute little desk on craigslist. Aidan & Isaac often joined in the learning fun!! I started some afternoon work with Aidan once he received his glasses. Isaac especially had days where we were done and he wanted to keep doing more work in the preK book Mimi got him for Christmas.
What did mommy learn? I learned despite my apprehension all in all our three months went beautifully. The decision to pull her from school was far more difficult than any day of homeschooling. There wasn't the dreadful day after day of arguing between she and I like I had feared.
Sure there were days my patience was tested, but additional patience (or grace) was given to me and isn't patience and our response in times of stress something one has to practice continually anyways? Right? So all those naysayers that say "Oh, I don't have the patience to homeschool" like I once said to my homeschooling friends. (to whom I repeatedly apologize to now having been on the other side of that remark) You're right. You don't. Neither do I. So find something better to say. Like "my child is to social". No, on second thought don't say that either.
Luckily Emma has a natural love of learning and her favorite activity to (unsuccessfully) convince her brothers to play is "school", so to her it was a dream come true of playing school day after day, only she was stuck as the student. :) Fall oh fall, what do you hold??
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